


Secrets Burn Deep

by Lovethewinchestersinc4



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-13 07:44:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21240623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lovethewinchestersinc4/pseuds/Lovethewinchestersinc4
Summary: Estell finds out about her brother's world by an accident that could easly turn into a disaster. It makes her see a few thigs she never saw before.





	1. Monsters At Bay

**Author's Note:**

> I know that I mentioned Annabeth and Percy in the tags, but please note: this is a fic about Estell, and Annabeth is only mentioned. This is not a romentic fic!  
enjoy :)

It was way to late for Estell to stay out with her friends, but she didn't care. Her mother had asked her to write her a text once a while so she knew Estell was ok, and as long as she did that, she knew Sally wouldn't be angry that she stayed late over at Jenny's. 

They had stayed awake long after the movie was over, and Lenna didn't want them to leave Jenny's house until it was almost midnight. The real problem was going back home, because as much as Estell loved New York, it wasn't a place for two fourteen years old girls in the middle of the night. And honestly, she wasn't going to ask from her mother to come and pick her up. 

"Mabey your parents would let you stay over the night with me?" Jenny offered the girls. Lenna shock her head. 

"My mom must be furious with me already. I should just go back home." 

"Jesus, Leanna, you can't be serious! It's almost midnight!" Estell told her friend. 

"It's fine, Stella. My house is just a few blocks away. It's a ten minutes' walk. I'll stay with my phone open-" 

"Your mom will understand if you tell her you stayed over because it was too late to come back. Better safe than sorry." Jenny encouraged. The three soon got into a heated fight, and in its end, Lenna walked out of Jenny's house in a storm. Estell hated she did that. It was Lenna who didn't want to leave in a normal hour in the first place, and now she has a problem with staying? sometimes her friends made her so angry, but they were still friends. 

"I'll go get her." Estell sighed. She wasn't the strongest, but her older brother, Percy, had taught her some self-defense moves. So she left Jenny's apartment and ran after her friend.

"Lenna wait! Don't be stupid, it's New York in the middle of the night! Think it through for a moment," Estell grabbed her.

"Leave me alone, Stella. I just want to go home." Estell had to roll her eyes when she heard that. 

"Lenna-" but it was already to late as Estell's friend took off. 

"Shit," Estell murmured, and took off after her friend. But when she turned the street, it was empty. A bile rose in her throat. She knew for sure this was the street Lenna turned to, and there was no way she could cross the whole street and disappear before Estell saw her. 

"Lenna?" Estell called her friend as she pulled out her phone and started dialing the number of Lenna's phone. It ringed from somewhere close by. "Lenna!" Estell yelled. She found her friend unconscious behind the garbage can and there… 

She wasn't even sure what it was that she saw… was it a woman? A weird robot? Some kind of a goat? Dressed in red-white cheerleader clothes, it (she?) smiled at her.

"I thought I smelled a half-blood here around… poor little thing. Can't even protect herself. I bet she doesn’t even know. But you, you can see me?" she asked and stepped closer into the light for Estell to see. One of her legs was pure machine-like robot, the other pure goat. And her fangs… 

"What-what are you?" 

"I am a monster!" she laughed so hard, so loud and creepy, Estell couldn't understand how the couple that has walked close tothe street didn't notice her or even looked at their direction. She wanted to ask for help, but they were gone faster than she ever had the chance to open her mouth and scream.

Estell wished they'd come back so she could call for them to help her. 

"What do you want?" Estell asked the cheerleader. 

"Well I was only going to kill and eat the half one, but since you want so badly to get eaten too, little human who sees through the mist, I'll gladly help you with that! And you smell, familiar…" she itched with nose, as if she was trying to understand why Estell smelled familiar to her. Estell thought she must be hallucinating. 

A cheerleader monster who wants to eat Lenna and her?

And the girl flashed with her fangs and dived towards Estell who was still crouching by Lenna's side. 

Estell pushed Lenna's body with all of her strength and dodge away from the cheerleader. 

"Are you crazy??? Stop that!!" she yelled. The cheerleader laughed. 

"I told you little human, I plan on eating you and your friend. Did you think I was playing? I know girls are not usually my thing, us, the Emphases, we prefer to eat men, it's known, but this day they are just so hard to get… better one half-blood girl and a little human than nothing at all." The cheerleader shrugged. 

What the hell? Estell thought to herself. she saw Lenna starting to wake up while the cheerleader talked. She had to something fast. They had to get away from there, from the monster. 

As Estell was thinking, the cheerleader dived again with fangs and canings. Estell slipped away from her just barely. She thought about using the techniques her brother had taught her, but she didn't want to get close enough for her to even be able to fight the monster. When Lenna finally woke up completely, Estell knew she wasn't hallucinating the whole thing. It was pretty obvious from Lenna's screaming that she saw the exact same thing as Estell. 

Luckily, Lenna's scram distracted the cheerleader enough for Estell to grab her friend's hand and start running. 

As they ran the street away from the cheerleader, Estell pulled out her phone. But who would she call? 911? They'll think she's messing up with them and hang up. Her mother? Father? Will they even understand if they believe her? There was only one option left – not a kind one. She knew Percy is going to be pissed at her for being outside at such a late hour, but she was lucky he was around and stayed over this week.

He picked up the phone after the first ring. Percy rarely slept.

"Perc, I know it's going to sound super weird, but I really need your help!" she yelled-whispered into the phone. They kept running the blocks, but she had no idea anymore if she had gotten farther or closer to Jenny's home. 

Oh, god. Jenny must be worrying sick for them.

"What the hell is going on?" Percy asked his younger sister over the phone. 

"There this- I don't know what she is, OK? Some kind of a monster, I can't believe I'm actually saying it aloud-" 

"Tell me where you are right now! I'm coming over!" 

Estell was surprised for a moment, but then quickly looked around her. "I'm next to Kenny's candy shop."

"Stay there, hide, I'll be there in ten minutes. Stay with me on the phone." Percy said with a frantic voice. 

Estell found a garbage can to hide behind and quickly dived, pulling shocked Lenna with her.

It took the cheerleader five or six minutes to find them. God, Estell hoped Percy was close by. He said ten minutes, and it meant she had to find a way to survive alone the next four-five minutes.

"Oh, you little half-blood, I'm going to devour you!" the cheerleader laughed. 

"What does it mean, a half-blood?" Estell blurted. Anything to keep the monster occupied enough time for Percy to come. 

"Well, it doesn’t really matter little human. You're going to die either way." She answered. Lenna made a soft sound of a cry. 

"So, I'm human? Or a half-blood?" Estell ignored everything, including the fear that was like a pit in her stomach, and kept talking. 

"Of course you're human. A little human who can see through the mist. It's why you and your half-blood friend see me for my real look. And you smell, as if I've eaten you before." She smiled.

"What does that mean?" Estell asked, even though she knew exactly what it meant. The cheerleader spoke for literally. If she said she was going to eat them, she meant exactly that. Estell fought to keep her stomach from rolling. 

"It means I'm going to eat like I've eaten you before! Stop talking!" If Percy had heard anything at all, he didn't comment, he was so quite on his other side of the phone, Estell didn't even see him coming until he showed out of nowhere saying: "Hi Kelly. Remember me, you bitch?" 

And that moment, Kelly had enough time for confusion and understanding cross through eyes. It was also enough time for Percy, Estell's sweet older brother who ate blue pancakes on Sunday morning and picked her for ice cream after school to be gone.

And in a swift motion, Percy lifted a sword Estell never saw before, and ripped Kelly's head from the rest of her body.


	2. Secrets Never Stay Burried For Long

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Estell finds out about Percy's world by an accident that could easly end up in a disaster. It makes her see a few things she never saw before.

Both Estell and Lenna were quite as they sat in Estell's living room. Percy made a hot chocolate for the girls while speaking in hushed tones with their mom. Estell's dad quietly listened without saying a word. Estell quickly texted Jenny that she and Lenna had arrived home safe. It wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't a lie, and honestly, she had no idea how to tell her friend what happened. So, she didn't. 

Lenna was still in shock. Estell had no idea how she wasn't. But it was good to know she wouldn't freeze like her friend in times of real danger. 

Percy sat the cups on the table and sat in front of Estell. 

"I need you tell me exactly what happened." He said, so she told him. She completely denied the fact that her brother had just brutally murdered a weird murderous monster. She didn’t really know what to think about it. 

But Percy relaxed in his sit and started to explain himself to her anyway. 

"Everything you know is a lie." He said. Wonderful, really. Estell thought to herself. Everything she knew was a lie, and she was the only one in her family who lived in one, because apparently, her parents weren't in much of shock as she would have been if she heard her story from someone else. 

"There are gods. Not just one. A lot of them. Greek, Roman, apparently, even Norden gods. All co-existing in a very annoying way." He said. 

"Like Zeus and Hera?" Estell asked. The things he said didn't really made much sense. She would have thought he was making up some cruel joke, but Percy was never cruel to her, and after everything she saw... she knew one thing for sure though - even if Percy was never cruel to her, her brother was very capable of being one. And honestly, it didn't sit well with her. She was happy he saved her ass out three, really she was, but this, this was whole new level. a scary one. She wondered if Annabeth knows. Lenna still didn't say a word. Didn't even sip from her hot chocolate. Percy saw that, Estell knew, but he didn't say a word about it. 

"Yes. Just like them. The problem is, if there are gods out there, there are also monsters. Most of the people can't see them, and honestly they aren't fatal to them because they don't give two shits about people." Percy said. 

"She tried to hurt me, the monster." Estell said. Percy flinched as if it was his fault. 

"Because you can see her. Because you smell like me. Of me. I don’t really know." 

"Why?" Estell asked. 

"Why you can see her? Some people just can. Mom can see them too. You must have gotten it from her. Paul can't see them, but he had his fare share with them too." 

"Why was she after me?" Lenna suddenly asked with a horse voice.

"Because," Percy pushed Lenna's cup towards her. "You're like me. You're a half-blood. Half human, half god. Do you live with your mom or with your dad?" he asked Lenna.  
"My mom. She told me my dad left her when he found out she was pregnant. That he was a piece of shit." Lenna said. 

"Lot's of gods are piece of shit. They are never the parents of the year, trust me. But it doesn't mean he doesn’t care about you; you'll see now that you know. We find that we can live longer when we grow up without knowing our heritage. Less monsters, I guess. I don't really know how it works." Percy shrugged his shoulders, then he finally turned to Estell. 

"I'm so sorry that you almost got hurt because of me. Kelly must have smelled me on you. We have a bad history together." 

"I don't understand, why you have a history with that cheerleader, how do you know so much about these monsters??" Estell asked.

"Well, I'm a half-blood too. we decided not to tell you. I thought it would be only fair to give a chance for a normal life. Until now, I thought you couldn’t even see the monsters, so there was no reason to say anything. You don’t deserve to be part of this world. It's brutal and ugly and painful." Percy said. There was an edge to his voice, which was full of pain and anger. Suddenly Estell felt as if she didn't know the brother who sat before her at all. 

so she didn't say a word. She was still angry for being left out, but what could she say? Percy's reasons were valid, and she knew her brother was only trying to protect her. Even if everything that just happened scared the shit out of her.  
She sighed. She would have to get over it on her own eventually, and Estell always believed that if you knew you weren't going to be angry with someone forever, then it's not worth it to be angry at him at all. Easier said than done, but she would at least try. 

Percy gave his little sister a nudge, then pet her hair. "I'm really sorry, sis. Do you forgive me? I'll do anything." 

"Anything?" Estell smiled. Now it was Percy's turn to sigh. "Yes, Stella, anything." 

"Well, if you insist, you'll have to take me to that good restaurant with thw Belgian waffle you and Annie always talk about, and you have to tell me everything from the beginning." She demanded. 

Percy smiled. "That isn't as bad as I thought it would be. We'll do it. I promise. But first, I have to talk to your friend over here, explain her some stuff. But everything's going to be just fine, I promise." 

"I'll remember this promise, Sweed Brain." Estell said, using the favorite nickname of his wife.

Percy smiled sadly, as if giving him the nickname Annabeth always uses was something that was saved only for her. Percy was Estell's Sweed Brain too, just not in a romantic way because then it would be just too gross. Apparently, he was a scary Sweed Brain too, so it was more than enough for Estell. He gave her one last pet on her head, then he, Lenna and her mother all disappeared behind a close door of the guest room. 

Estell's dad sat beside her on the couch, and without a single word, the two agreed on a marathon of "Friends" on the TV. 

And with that, and all the sit in the world, Estell knew everything was really going to be Ok. At least for now, anyway.


	3. Thoughts Of Brothers And Parents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Estell finds out about her brother's world by an accident that could easly turn into a disaster. It makes her see a few things she never saw before.

Estell was scared. And it's not like she was never scared of the city before – it's New York after all, but now, now that she knew exactly what – who – her brother really was, it was different. She looked around herself everywhere she went and suddenly she had started seeing things she never noticed before. 

Like sometime, she had seen such an odd man, half human, half goat, and when she asked Percy about it, he said it was a Satyr, a creature of the Greek mythology who's main job was to help find half-bloods like Percy and Lenna, (Estell's friend), protect them and get them safely to the camp. 

And that made Estell realize that Grover, one of Percy's closest friends, almost like a brother to him, was never human before, and she had never seen it before. 

"It's only natural," her mother had told her one night before she went bed. "Little children usually don't have the ability to see through the mist. It's an ability that develops over time or gets triggered one way or another." 

But everything was still so unreal to Estell. 

How could she possibly miss all the mystical creatures that roamed in the Central Park her wholel life? Or Grover? Or Tyson? The fact that Percy's half-brother, was a Cyclops... she couldn't even think about it. She didn't even understand what being a Cycolpe meant. And he had only one eye. Seeing Tyson through the mist for the first time was a hell of show, and it wasn't a kind one. Estell screamed pretty bad, and later, after relaxing, she started to feel sorry for hurting his feelings. Tyson was still the same person he was when she saw him with two eyes, Percy would always remind her. And Tyson was gentle guy. It made her feel so guilty, even though she knew thats not what Percy meant for her to feel. 

It made things super weird.

"Are you sure you're feeling fine?" Jenny's voice interrupted Estell's thoughts as they left their English class. Estell knew she didn't get anything from this lesson. But all Estell ever did this days was thinking anyway, and she wouldn't get anything from any other lesson for a long time now, so she put on a smile and nodded.

Jenny had been extremely worried since Lenna went to "visit family in Europe" almost as if she knew something wasn't right with that, almost as if she remembered that Lenna's mother was her only family. But Estell was surprised to see how much the mist was effective – every time there was shadow of memory crossing through Jenny's eyes, as if she understood something she hadn't thought about before, it disappeared, and all that remained was an angry, worried Jenny, who didn't understand why Lenna couldn't call.

Percy explained to Estell that half-bloods rarely had a phone in their possession, because its electric signature attracted monsters. That's why Lenna decided to throw away her phone, on Percy and Sally's advice. 

And now Lenna was in Camp Half Blood, where humans like Estell couldn't get in. And it was in those days that suddenly Estell understood everything there was to understand about the mysterious allure of the "camp" in which Percy always talked about and brought friends whom he said were like brothers and sisters to him. 

Or a lover. A wife.

Annabeth was half-blood too, Estell realized not long after the whole thing with Kelley went down. 

And the expressions Estell saw on their faces when they looked at each other: some kind of a mix of love and lust and pain and regret and other things she couldn't even realize, couldn’t yet see. Maybe she'll never see. 

"They had been through hell together." Her mother had whispered to her at dinner one night, when they all sat down to eat and Estell had noticed all these things.

"I know that they hold on to each other as if their dear life depends on it. I think in some extant their life really does depend on each other. Two pieces together as one. If you ask Percy, maybe one day he will tell you about some of the things." 

And he had told her. He promised to take her to the restaurant with the Belgian waffle and tell her everything from the beginning, but Estell didn't have to be super smart to know it was the tip of the iceberg. For now though, it was fine with Estell. She saw that even what her brother did choose to expose to her was something no kid at the age of twelve, or fourteen or sixteen had to grow through. 

Her brother was kid turned into a soldier. A commander too. She knew that. She saw that even if he didn't say it out loud. Even if he didn't admit it. And Percy would never admit it. she knew that too. Saw it too. He was a modest man, Percy, even if he didn’t see it. And he made such a face when she told him that once.

And that was how Estell suddenly found herself staring at the sea. Well not that suddenly. She had walked there all the way. But lately she was thinking all the time, she was thinking a lot. About her brother, about Lenna, about her life being a little lie and a little truth. She didn't know how her mother had been able to cope with that when she found out about her ability. And Sally didn't even have her parents to guide her through this like Estell did. 

Estell's mother was a strong woman, Estell knew. To think Sally had sat at home, went to work, kept on with her life when Percy was out there, risking his life… Estell didn't know how she could sleep. A woman had to be strong to pass every summer like that for five years in a row. 

Estell had started bumping the stones on the easy waves when she suddenly saw a man sitting not that far away from her. 

"You think a lot, little girl. But the sea calms me down too, you know. I understand why you're here." He said. 

Estell ignored him. There was no way she would answer a stranger. 

"It's beautiful, isn’t it? the sea. But it could be so deceiving. One moment its calm and fun. Meant for children and love and summer. And the other moment, its vicious and cruel. People forget the sea can kill too." the man said. 

Estell though about Percy. Sweet, loving, Percy, who took her for ice cream and picked her from school with hug, who laughed and goofed with Annabeth on the couch on Saturday morning. He was the same brother as the one who ripped Kelly's head from the rest of her body in order to protect Estell. And he did it without even flinching. 

Looks really could be deceiving, she guessed.

"I know what you're thinking, little Estell, but you'll get used to it. The mist being gone. The truth, scary truth in front of your eyes. And you have a loving family. My son, he'll always protect you, and damn that kid lives long. Longer that I, or any of the Gods expected him to. Not that I'm not happy, because I am." He stopped for a moment. 

"But Percy is a good kid. He's done some bad stuff, sure no one's saint, but he has a golden heart, and he's worried about you. Go home Estell. Tell him I might see him for his birthday. Ask him to talk to you. You'll be surprised on what you'll find out, and you'll learn to accept it over time. It will be Ok." He said. 

Estell turned to look at the man. The God, she realized. Now that she looked at him, really looked at him, she could see this was no man. There was something about him that was so powerful… 

"Are you…?"

"Percy's father? Yes." 

"Why might?" she asked the God. She probably shouldn't have, but she asked anyway. He looked confused for a moment.  
"You said to tell Percy you might see him for his birthday. Why might? Say you'll come or don't. I don't want him to wait for someone who only might come. That’s not fair. I know that wouldn't want to wait for someone who only might come." She shouldn't have explained herself, she shouldn’t have said a word, but she couldn't stop herself. This God came by and said all these things about her brother, but couldn't give him his time of the day? 

He popped out of no where to teach her about the sea and life and she had never met him before. Her brother's father. The man – no, the God – her mother had once loved for an entire summer, and an entire decade, until she met Estell's dad. 

And then he might come? Did Percy had not gone through enough bullshit already? Estell knew that she felt she had been through enough bullshit for the rest of her life after the whole thing with Kelley and that was nothing compared to what her brother had been through. 

Suddenly, the God smiled. 

"You are a good sister, little Estell. You really are."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter of this fic, hope you enjoyed, and comment if want to. :)


End file.
